Steve Jobs

It seems everything I could say about the passing away of this great man, has already been said. Yet, I couldn't just leave it at that. I couldn't shake the feeling that I too should contribute to the man's legacy and write even a short, cliched message in his memory.


But then it hit me. My message for the man could not be a restatement of what others have said. Jobs would never accept mediocrity or repetition. His message had to be innovative and sleek, forceful, yet compact. His message had to be his life. The antithetical start to success by dropping out of school. The creative force of realizing the future before it was created. The simplicity of life that accompanied such huge success. The message of his life was to live. To live fully, to live simply, to never compromise on one's values. This was the way Jobs lived and this is the legacy that he inspires. 


Why is it that Apple has become a trend, a necessity rather than a mere appliance? Because Jobs showed us how we could love the value of innovation, of genius, of human potential. How having a macbook, an ipad, an iphone, or an ipod could allow each of us to tap into the human genius present in us all. It's quite simple. It's the human exceptionality; its the creative spirit of the human experience; it's the sheer reality of being. Jobs tapped into that, and in so doing, he gave us all permission to do the same. 


It's as Marianne Williamson so eloquently put it: 


"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are younot to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."


This is what Steve Jobs did, liberating us from the trap of failure. Letting us fully believe in ourselves and the untapped human potential. And shining his light on the world.